Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 399 Captain of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

In the VIP room
The company's patron, known as Sir Pan, sat on one side, seemingly listening to the conversation between Manager He and Huang Qifan, but his eyes vaguely fell on Wang Debiao and Xiao Sanfa.

His gaze seemed to see through people's hearts, and no secrets could be hidden. Xiao Sanfa became angry and glared back at him fiercely.

Sir Pan showed an indifferent look. This person was Lieutenant Colonel Pan Changfu, Deputy Director of the Fifth Department (Southeast Asia Investigation Department). The purpose of this casual meeting was to get close to some backbone members of the Black Flag Army.

in his eyes

Wang Debiao and Xiao Sanfa are both good men with straightforward personalities. It can be seen that they have no scheming intentions, but they are all strong men who have experienced life and death countless times. They are commonly known as "fighting men."

In the Chu army

There are many people of this type. They exude unconcealed characteristics from the outside and inside, just like wildness.

In the eyes of this kind of people, you are either a friend or an enemy. They are willing to entrust their lives to their own people and let blood splash within five steps of them. That is their absolute sincerity and they have no ulterior motives.

Towards the enemy, he was like frost, without a word or expression, and he would not frown when it was time to strike. If he tried to deal with the enemy with false feelings, that would be impossible.

"What are you still looking at? If you piss me off, I'll chop you off with one blow. I'll teach you a lesson about the methods of my Black Flag Army."

After looking over again, Xiao Sanfa suddenly got angry. He was really annoyed by this kind of prying gaze.

This sudden change

The ongoing negotiation was immediately interrupted. Manager He looked over with astonishment, holding the list of required materials provided by Huang Qifan.

Huang Qifan was immediately shocked and angry. He quickly stood up and stopped him, saying, "Sanfa, what are you doing? Don't offend such an important person. If you miss this important matter, watch out for your head!"

Xiao Sanfa stood there, staring at Sir Pan with murderous eyes. When he suddenly stood up, Wang Debiao also stood up and moved a step forward silently.

It was not to stop Xiao Sanfa, but to subconsciously prepare to cooperate and leave Xiao Sanfa more room to move.

If they attack suddenly, getting close to them will only cause trouble.

They are brothers who have been through life and death together since they rolled out of the pile of corpses. Even if Xiao Sanfa pokes a hole in the sky, Wang Debiao is ready to bear it together without any hesitation.

"Mr. Huang, what does your attendant mean by this? He comes to the trading company to show off. Doesn't he want to get the money for this shipload of coal?" Shopkeeper He's face darkened and looked quite ugly.

The movement in the VIP room attracted the attention of the guards, and five or six strong men rushed in from outside the door, each holding a revolver. One of them had a dagger in his hands stuck to his sleeves, ready to be combined at any time.

When doing business in Southeast Asia, there are many small countries, many forces, and countless bandits and pirates. It is not possible to suppress them all by relying solely on ironclad fleets.

Those large Chinese chambers of commerce all have strong strength.

A large chamber of commerce like the Sihai Changda Chamber of Commerce can easily pull out three or four hundred muskets from the docks and warehouses, and the hired shop assistants and workers can be transformed into armed militia, and their combat effectiveness is no joke.

Merchant ships travel to the South China Sea all year round, and the sailors on board have all received armed militia training, so they are not inferior to pirates when fighting against them.

It is impossible for the Chu State’s patrol ships to protect every merchant ship. In many cases, the iron must be forged on its own strength.

With just a few calls from the upper and lower branches of this trading company, it was no problem to gather seventy or eighty people and guns in a short period of time. This can be said to be full of martial virtue.

Shopkeeper He slammed the list on the table angrily. This action made Huang Qifan feel a little uneasy and he felt something was wrong.

He turned around, stared at Xiao Sanfa with a bad look and asked, "Sanfa, I know you are a good man. If you have suffered any injustice today, I, Huang Qifan, am not a person who does not take responsibility. At most, we can just part ways.

Just six or seven thousand tons of coal is the work of a few hundred miners in a few days. Even if they can't exchange it for money, they won't starve to death.

But if you create trouble out of nothing and delay the military commander's important task, please go back and take care of the punishment yourself."

"I..." Xiao Sanfa was not a good talker, but he was annoyed by the look on his face by Sir Pan, so he immediately lost his temper without thinking about the consequences.

These men who roam the green forest all care about is living a happy life, so how can there be any taboos?

Now that Huang Qifan asked this question, he was suddenly stuck.

His face flushed red, and the energy he had just shown was instantly deflated like a popped balloon, and he was speechless.

Wang Debiao, who was standing next to him, was stunned. He blurted out, "Brother, what's the matter...are you still going to fight that guy?"

Wang Debiao was a more ruthless fighter than Xiao Sanfa. Huang Qifan's face twitched with anger the moment he uttered these words. He immediately scolded them, "Shut up! You two, get out of here right now. Wait at the door honestly and don't cause any trouble, or no one can protect you."

Wang Debiao was still unconvinced, and suddenly several black gun muzzles were pointed at his chest. He stiffened his neck and prepared to fight back.

His cuffs felt tighter, and when he looked down, he found that he was being grabbed by Xiao Sanfa.

Xiao Sanfa said in a muffled voice, "Master Huang, I was reckless. Brother Debiao and I will wait outside the door."

After saying that, he pulled it again, took the lead and walked out with Wang Debiao.

Several armed guards who had just rushed in stared at them coldly and blocked the doorway without giving way, which led to a stalemate between the two sides.

Huang Qifan put on a smile, clasped his fists and said, "I apologize to you all. I was a bit reckless. I will have to explain when I miss the opportunity. Shopkeeper He, I will give you an explanation. I hope you can put aside the past grudges."

"Everyone, get out of the way. Remember to lock the door when you go downstairs. Don't let any unrelated people in in the future." Shopkeeper He glanced at Sir Pan and saw that he was sitting there calmly. He waved his hand with a sullen face and gave the order.

Several strong men escorted Xiao Sanfa and Wang Debiao out, attracting the attention of everyone in the business and causing them to murmur in private.

This is just great
When I went in, I was warmly invited in, but when I came out, I was escorted out at gunpoint. It was like a big deal.

Xiao Sanfa and Wang Debiao came out listlessly, and then the door of the business was firmly guarded by these strong men, who stared at them vigilantly.

The two of them also felt bored, so they walked away a little, blaming each other as they walked.

"De Biao, when Third Brother was messing around, you didn't even bother to hold me back. You were so stupid and said all sorts of things. Who were you trying to kill?"

"I don't know, Third Brother, aren't you going to kill that Pan guy? Do you want to kill Mr. Huang as well?"

"Why should I do Mr. Huang well?"

"Third brother, you can do whatever you want to me, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"I really want to kill you. Why is it so hard to communicate with you?" "I feel fine. Third brother, what if the money from our coal ship is really gone? If the flag master gets angry, I won't know anything about it."

"Go away, all day long..."

In the VIP room
Sir Pan waved his hand, and Shopkeeper He bowed slightly with great tact, then turned and left quickly.

The list of supplies on the coffee table was still there intact.

After Manager He left, the room suddenly became cold and quiet.

Lieutenant Colonel Pan Changfu looked at Huang Qifan with a scrutinizing look, neither speaking nor standing up, which brought invisible pressure to Huang Qifan.

Huang Qifan clasped his hands together and was about to apologize.

Then Lieutenant Colonel Pan Changfu raised one hand, meaning there was no need to mention it, and then said in a calm voice: "It's just a trivial matter, don't mention it."

Then, he stood up, straightened his clothes, and said solemnly, "Let me introduce myself again. I am the Lieutenant Colonel Deputy Director of the Fifth Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kingdom of Great Chu. My surname is Pan, and my given name is Changfu. I serve under Director He, carrying out confidential military intelligence missions."

He had just intended to provoke the two ruffians, but they didn't know what was going on and just glanced at him a few more times, and then they exploded like firecrackers.

With this little trick, they could drive the two troublesome guys out of the door and discuss some confidential matters.

As for the Sihai Changda Trading Company, he simply showed his ID card as an officer of the Ministry of the Interior and asked the shopkeeper He to cooperate unconditionally. This was not uncommon in the past operations of major trading companies.

Others may not know how ruthless the Ministry of the Interior is, but these businesses know it all too well.

Every big trading company has a very deep background. They know that anyone who attracts the attention of the Ministry of the Interior and is investigated will most likely suffer a bad fate, whether they are military officers or civil officials.

The deep background of these large private trading companies is powerful enough to scare ordinary people.

But in front of the officers of the Ministry of the Interior, it's nothing.

The officers of the Ministry of the Interior were ordered to handle the case. Even if they were three levels higher than the official, a major could still capture the colonel who committed the crime. Those who resisted were all charged with treason and executed without mercy. Their property was confiscated and their titles were stripped away, and the crime was extended to three generations.

If so
So can the Lieutenant Colonel of the Ministry of the Interior bring down the Major General who committed the crime?
It is not that simple to say. Senior military officers of the Chu State who have reached the rank of major general are no longer something that the colonel-level officers of the Ministry of the Interior can deal with.

Not to mention lieutenant colonel, even a colonel at the department head level is not acceptable.

At least a major general officer at the level of deputy minister of the interior can deal with the major general officer who committed the crime, and there must be sufficient and solid reasons, otherwise it will easily backfire on oneself.

The officers of the Ministry of the Interior are the royal secret guards. The so-called "three levels higher than the official" is only limited to colonels and below in the army and navy, and the crime does not reach generals.

If he is really a senior military officer with the rank of lieutenant general, it has exceeded the Ministry of the Interior's authority to handle, and His Majesty must personally issue an order to investigate and deal with the case.

When Huang Qifan heard that Lieutenant Colonel Pan Changfu revealed his identity and that it was not his original alias, he was obviously stunned, then he solemnly straightened his clothes.

He clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to the ground, saying respectfully, "I, Huang Qifan, a commoner from the mountains, pay my respects to the Vice-President."

"Since I have formally introduced you, I will not hide anything. Please sit down, Mr. Huang, and we can have a good chat about the affairs of North Vietnam." Lieutenant Colonel Pan Changfu's expression relaxed and he gestured with one hand for them to sit down and talk.

Then he sat down first, picked up the teacup and took a sip. Looking at Huang Qifan who was sitting respectfully beside him with his hands on his knees, he slowly put down the teacup and said:

"The higher-ups have noticed your actions in northern Vietnam and are quite satisfied with the current situation.

Based on our position
The following is an update on the international predicament France is currently facing, as well as an analysis of the situation and countermeasures, which can help the Black Flag Army develop better.

The current predicament of France in Europe is inseparable from the rise of the German Empire..."

The sources of information of the Chu State were not comparable to those of the Black Flag Army. Lieutenant Colonel Pan Changfu spent several nights memorizing this large amount of information until he remembered it firmly.

In general
The current difficulties faced by France are quite serious. It is temporarily unable to rebel against the north. It has at least five or six years of peace for development, so it can just go ahead and do it.

There is no need to be afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind, as the French have no time to worry about the Black Flag Army.

With power and money, they need to expand their territory and migrate more Chinese immigrants to Guangxi. That is the base of the Black Flag Army.

If we could have 600,000 to 700,000 people and occupy five or six provinces, we would be able to attack when we advance and defend when we retreat, and we would have a lot of room to maneuver.

Huang Qifan took the opportunity to express his loyalty. Compared with the State of Chu, the Black Flag Army was just a group of country guys looking for food in the mountains. How much could they achieve?

The State of Chu was a regional power with a territory of more than 300 million square kilometers. Huang Qifan, who frequently traveled to Southeast Asia, knew that the influence of the State of Chu extended eastward across the Pacific Ocean to Central and South America, a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers.

Wouldn't it be stupid not to hold on tightly to such big, thick legs?
Lieutenant Colonel Pan Changfu did not act pretentiously. After giving Huang Qifan some careful instructions, he took out the letter of commission and officer certificate and appointed him as a captain in the Ministry of the Interior.

This is also the highest military position that the Ministry of the Interior can handle privately. It requires the personal approval of the Minister, and it must be recorded in the files. The Minister must also bear all consequences arising from this appointment.

Minister of the Interior, Viscount Dong Huanzhang, had served two consecutive terms as a cabinet minister and was a close minister to His Majesty, having made numerous contributions. This was rare even among the current second-term Zongli Yamen, demonstrating his confidence and commitment.

Huang Qifan has transformed himself into a captain officer in the Ministry of the Interior.

If he makes meritorious service in the future, he can be promoted to a military rank. Being in the Black Flag Army is much easier than being in other Ministry of the Interior officers.

For example, as Lieutenant Colonel Pan Changfu instructed, some of the Black Flag Army's children would be sent to the State of Chu for further studies, including at military academies at all levels, where thirty or forty places could be provided.

Open up trade to merchants from the State of Chu, introduce Chu Chinese school textbooks for education, introduce a system of checks and balances among officials, develop regional industries, and so on.

If you do these, there should be no problem in being promoted to Major in the Ministry of the Interior.

If we can mobilize core generals such as Liu Yongfu to study at the Royal Manila Military Academy of Chu State, instead of staying in that remote mountain area and looking at the world from a narrow perspective, we should go out and see the world and gain more experience.

If things go wrong, you can be promoted to the next level.

It is not easy to get promoted as an officer in the Ministry of the Interior. Lieutenant Colonel is almost a bottleneck. There are only more than ten colonels in the entire Ministry of the Interior, and most of them are senior officers in various departments.

Lieutenant Colonel Pan Changfu was confused as to why the Chu State did not want the Black Flag Army to join it, but instead allowed it to grow and develop.

This was the will of a higher authority. As a small lieutenant colonel, he only had to carry it out without compromise, whether he understood it or not.

He thought that perhaps His Majesty also looked down on the area of ​​Yuebei.

(End of this chapter)